The present invention relates to, for example, a manufacturing technique of a semiconductor device and a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus using a conveying robot conveying a semiconductor substrate.
In a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus used in a manufacturing line of a semiconductor wafer (a semiconductor substrate, or hereinafter simply referred to as a wafer), the semiconductor substrate is conveyed by a conveying robot between a substrate carrying-in/carrying-out unit and a processing unit in the apparats in many cases.
A substrate conveying apparatus (wafer conveying apparatus) using a conveying robot and the like conveying a semiconductor substrate is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei 10 (1998)-84028 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei 10 (1998)-223733.
However, if the semiconductor substrate is processed at high temperature while being stored in, for example, a substrate storage unit such as a boat in the processing unit of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, the semiconductor substrate is warped and deformed. In addition, when attempting to take out the semiconductor substrate from the substrate storage unit using the conveying robot, the semiconductor substrate is caught in the substrate storage unit, and cannot be taken out from the substrate storage unit. Thus, the semiconductor substrate is left in the substrate storage unit.
In the sequence of the conveying robot, the conveying robot performs an operation of taking out the semiconductor substrate from the substrate storage unit, and then performs the next operation, namely, an operation of storing the semiconductor substrate into the substrate storage unit. In this case, a semiconductor substrate that could not be taken out is left in the substrate storage unit, and the semiconductor substrate to be stored is overlapped with one that is left. As a result, the semiconductor substrate is disadvantageously damaged.
The other objects and novel features will become apparent from the description of the specification and the accompanying drawings.
A manufacturing method of a semiconductor device according to an aspect of the present invention includes the steps of: (a) delivering a semiconductor substrate using a conveying robot provided in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus between a processing jig included in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and a substrate storage container; and (b) performing a desired process for the semiconductor substrate in a processing unit of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. Further, the conveying robot includes a sensor support unit provided at a part that is not turned, and a first sensor that detects the presence or absence of the semiconductor substrate held by a substrate holding unit of the conveying robot and a second sensor that detects the positional displacement of the semiconductor substrate held by the substrate holding unit are provided at the sensor support unit. Furthermore, the first sensor detects the presence or absence of the semiconductor substrate, and the second sensor detects the positional displacement of the semiconductor substrate in the step (a).
Further, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes: a processing unit that processes a semiconductor substrate; a processing jig that is arranged in the processing unit to store the semiconductor substrate; and a conveying robot that delivers the semiconductor substrate between the processing jig and a substrate storage container carried in from the outside. The processing jig is a jig that stores the semiconductor substrate when a desired process is performed for the semiconductor substrate in the processing unit. Further, the conveying robot includes a sensor support unit provided at a part that is not turned, and a first sensor that detects the presence or absence of the semiconductor substrate held by a substrate holding unit of the conveying robot and a second sensor that detects the positional displacement of the semiconductor substrate held by the substrate holding unit are provided at the sensor support unit.
According to the above-described aspects of the present invention, mistakes in the conveyance of a semiconductor substrate by a conveying robot can be reduced, and the substrate can be prevented from being damaged when the substrate is conveyed.